Katsivo Partnerships Connect Global

We don't just build the bridge.
We ensure it's built to last.

Strategic architecture for equitable research partnerships across every continent.

Founded by Dr. Melanie Katsivo, KPCG brings over 30 years of international research enterprise experience to institutions ready to move beyond the signed MoU — and into lasting, meaningful collaboration across every region of the world.

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30+
Years of Experience
3
National Award Wins
Multi-M$
Programs Managed
🌍🌎🌏
Every Continent, One Corridor
The Founder

Dr. Melanie Katsivo —
proven excellence, built over decades

KPCG's methodology is grounded in award-winning institutional leadership, equity innovation, and a deep commitment to research partnerships that are structurally sound — not just symbolically signed.

Dr. Melanie Katsivo — Founder, KPCG
"An MoU is often treated as a finish line. At KPCG, we view it as the starting blocks."

Dr. Katsivo brings three decades of experience in the international research enterprise — co-founding groundbreaking programs, leading university-level equity initiatives, and managing multi-million dollar global mobility funding.

Her work spans Global Affairs Canada, IDRC, and ESDC, and has produced enduring models for health, economic empowerment, and academic equity across Africa, the Americas, and beyond.

AUCC Scotiabank Prize — Western Heads East
Canada Research Chairs Program Robbins-Ollivier Award for Excellence in Equity
2021 Western Staff Award of Excellence — Western University
Founding Contributions to Western Heads East Program — Western International, Western University
What We Do

The KPCG Framework —
our pillars of global partnership architecture

We don't offer generic international consulting. Every engagement is built around the specific cultural, logistical, and academic nuances that define successful cross-continental research collaboration — wherever in the world your institution's partnerships reach.

Strategic Roadmapping

Long-term, ethical frameworks for international engagement — ensuring your institution's global footprint is both expansive and responsible from the start.

The Global Corridor

Contextual intelligence and due diligence for equitable engagement across continents. We navigate the distinct academic cultures, regulatory landscapes, and partnership norms of Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Global South — with precision and deep respect.

Partnership Maintenance & Sustainability

Deep-dive gap analyses and sustainability frameworks designed to keep partnerships structurally sound and mutually beneficial for years — not months.

Global Capacity Building

Workshops on the logistical and cultural complexities of international research and student mobility, drawing on decades of multi-million dollar program management.

Equity Service Offer

Institutional Equity —
decolonization as architecture, not checklist

Dr. Katsivo's framework for institutional equity focuses heavily on decolonization, embedding accountability, and structural belonging — rather than treating Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Decolonization (EDID) as a simple checklist. Her actionable methodology is built around three strategic pillars.

01
The Decolonization of North-South Partnerships

Power & Asset Sharing: Traditional institutional structures often concentrate research funding, authorship, and structural control in Western institutions. Dr. Katsivo's framework builds bilateral agreements that ensure institutions share equal structural authority and intellectual property ownership.

Biomedical & Technological Reciprocity: As demonstrated in her past work, her framework integrates asynchronous EDID courses for healthcare workers, grounding engineering designs directly in local community realities.

02
Narrative-Driven Belonging Over Checklist EDI

Visibility and Community Representation: Her institutional approach rejects generic tokenism. Through her leadership of equity initiatives, her framework centers on a foundational inquiry: "Why do students and faculty from equity-deserving groups feel uncomfortable here, and how do we ensure they see themselves reflected at all levels?"

Targeted Retention: The framework focuses heavily on systemic adjustments within academic spaces, deliberately elevating the safety, mental health, and progression of marginalized students and staff.

03
Cross-Disciplinary Integration (STEM + Medicine)

Curriculum Auditing: Moving beyond administrative human resource policies, Dr. Katsivo integrates EDI principles directly into medical, technical, and scientific education. She currently teaches a course on the application of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Decolonization, and Indigeneity principles in healthcare settings — one that includes a mandatory placement component.

Communities of Practice: She establishes specialized, collaborative networks among trainees and mentors.

Why KPCG

Your Corridor to the World —
for institutions ready to reach every continent

Katsivo Partnerships Connect Global is uniquely positioned to address the human resource and expertise gaps that constrain your institution's ambition for a strong, well-grounded presence across the global academic landscape. From Africa to Asia, the Americas to Europe, the Pacific to the Middle East — KPCG serves as the corridor that connects your institution to the world, bringing contextual knowledge, relational capital, and strategic discipline that no single region can replicate.

Filling Critical Expertise Gaps

Most academic institutions lack internal staff with direct experience navigating the political, cultural, and logistical complexities of cross-continental research environments. KPCG brings that expertise — across regions, time zones, and systems — so your team does not have to build it from scratch.

A Partner Who Walks With You

KPCG does not hand you a report and step away. We walk with you — from the earliest scoping conversations through MoU negotiations, implementation, and the long-term sustainability work that separates enduring partnerships from symbolic ones.

Navigating a Complex World

Every region KPCG works in is diverse, dynamic, and deeply relational. Global partnership success demands more than goodwill — it requires institutional intelligence, the right networks, and an unwavering commitment to equity. Dr. Katsivo has spent three decades building exactly that, across multiple continents.

Engagement & Fees

Transparent, Project-Based
billing you can plan around

KPCG uses a project-based billing model designed to align our engagement with your institution's milestones and budget cycles. All engagements are scoped and priced in advance, so there are no surprises.

Phase 1
50%
Deposit — before work begins

A deposit of 50% of the agreed project fee is required before engagement commences. This secures your placement in KPCG's project calendar and enables us to allocate resources immediately.

Phase 2
25%
Mid-project — upon milestone approval

The second payment of 25% is due upon successful delivery and approval of agreed mid-project milestones. We work collaboratively with your team to define what "milestone approval" looks like before the engagement begins.

Phase 3
25%
Completion — upon final delivery

The final 25% is due upon delivery and approval of the completed project. KPCG does not consider an engagement closed until your institution is satisfied with the outcome.

Consulting Fee

$300 CAD per hour, plus applicable taxes and HST. Operational costs directly related to contracted work — including economy class air travel, ground transportation, out-of-station per diems and living expenses, visas, immunizations, and travel insurance — are billed separately at cost.

"Every continent holds the potential for transformative scholarship. KPCG exists to connect that potential — equitably, intentionally, and built to last."

— Dr. Melanie Katsivo · Founder, KPCG
Get In Touch

Ready to build a partnership
that lasts?

Whether your institution is exploring its first international research corridor — across Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe, or the Pacific — or deepening an existing global presence, KPCG is ready to meet you where you are and walk with you the rest of the way.

Website
partnershipsglobal.org
Focus Areas
Global Partnership Architecture · Cross-Continental Strategy · Equity in Research · Institutional Capacity
Hi! I'm Mel 👋🏽 — ask me about KPCG partnerships